1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for navigation based on the intensity of illumination, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for navigation based on illumination intensity using an inexpensive photosensitive sensor, which enables simple signal processing and navigation of a space by moving along a path where the illumination intensity is the same.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a navigation apparatus for navigating a space often requires an expensive sensor such as a wide-angle camera, a laser, an acceleration sensor, or a gyro sensor, and a complicated signal processing system. Navigation apparatuses are presented in various patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,906 proposes a method and apparatus for determining the orientation and position of a vehicle in an environment, such as a hallway, from an image of a reflective ceiling feature.
FIG. 1 shows the conventional robot navigation apparatus 10 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,906.
Referring to FIG. 1, the navigation apparatus includes a light source 16 and a camera 12 that is pitched up obliquely at an intermediate angle between the horizon and the zenith. The camera 12 views a ceiling having one or more reflective features 14 which are preferably aligned with an axis of the hallway. A pattern of a feature 14 of the ceiling is detected by the camera 12 in order to derive vehicle navigation information.
However, the conventional navigation apparatus requires an expensive sensor such as the camera 12 to determine a navigation path for the vehicle. Also, a signal received from the sensor is difficult to process due to a large amount of noise contained therein.